1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ophthalmic operating apparatus for performing treatment by irradiating a laser beam for treatment onto a patient's eye, and more particularly to the apparatus providing an alignment mechanism for delivering the laser beam for treatment to a desired position for the patient's eye, or for delivering the laser beam to the desired position by tracking a movement of the patient's eye, and an observing mechanism for observing unevenness of a cornea of the patient's eye just after the completion of the treatment.
2. Description of Related Art
An ophthalmic operating apparatus for operating upon a cornea with using an excimer laser beam is well known as an ophthalmic operating apparatus for performing treatment by irradiating the laser beam for treatment on the patient's eye. The apparatus is used for removing a diseased portion on a corneal surface by irradiating the excimer laser beam on the corneal surface or for correcting ametropia by ablating the corneal surface so as to change corneal curvature. By using this apparatus, the patient's eye is fixed with a fixation target, so that an operator starts alignment to make the patient's eye and an irradiation optical system be under the desired condition with observing an alignment target. After the alignment is completed, the ablation is performed within a desired range only for a set level by controlling the apparatus.
Also, after the corneal surface is ablated with using this type of the ophthalmic operating apparatus, the corneal shape is to be observed in order to-confirm that the cornea of the patient's eye is ablated appropriately. This observation was the criterion for estimating corneal apacification, for confirming a fixating deviation of the patient's eye, and for determining whether another operation is required once more.
Further, upon LASIK operation, flap (corneal epithelium and a partial of stroma) is peeled partially, then the excimer laser beam is irradiated. Then, the flap is returned back, where it was, so as to be sticked thereon. At the time of being returned, the sticked condition is observed, especially whether air is contained or not between the flap is observed.
However, although the fixation target is fixed on the patient's eye, some patients of which eyes are defective fixation have a problem that their eyes are not stable. Therefore, once it is confirmed that the eye is moved during the alignment or laser beam irradiation, the laser beam irradiation should be stopped and the alignment should be begun from the first step. As a result, doing the alignment repeatedly will impose such a burden that the operation time may be prolonged on both the patient and the operator. Also, the patient of which eye is moved frequently has much burden.
Besides, if the laser beam irradiation is continued without any notice of movement of the patient's eye, the surface of the cornea will not be ablated to be an expected shape. Consequently, the postoperative refractive power would be effected.
Further, it may be intricate that the postoperative condition is estimated with using another apparatus, and it may be another burden with the patient and the operator.